Power at a Garden City seniors’ residence is back on after more than 100 residents were left with hot homes and spoiled food for several days.
Property manager John Zacharuk said the power was turned on Wednesday evening around 7:30 p.m., after being turned off Monday night.
A sewer backup in the basement of St. Josaphat Selo-Villa caused some electrical damage, which forced crews to shut down the hydro for safety reasons.
The thermometer in 83-year-old Harold Tybel’s unit read 85 degrees Fahrenheit (29.4 Celsius) Wednesday afternoon.
“This is a crisis because everybody is up in arms,” he said. “Why is it taking so long?”
Volunteers stepped up to bring people sandwiches and cold water in the meantime.
“This is how we’re surviving,” Tybel said.
Building management told Global News it needed approval from an electrical engineer before turning the power back on, which was the reason for the delay.
“We are reimbursing each tenant $100 towards purchasing new groceries,” Zacharuk said.